Executive Director

About Confidential Family Philanthropy

Confidential Family Philanthropy is a philanthropic enterprise undergoing transformative generational evolution. Building on a rich history of multi-generational grantmaking spanning decades, the organization bridges tradition and innovation while honoring proven strategies and developing new program areas and approaches to drive impact. Historically, the organization’s philanthropy has centered on health, sustainable agriculture, and Jewish life and continuity. Since establishing their philanthropic work, they have distributed more than $160 million in grants to over 300 organizations supporting these core missions. The foundation’s approach is grounded in humility, seeking to be of service while continuously working toward a deeper, more holistic understanding of the areas they support. As the family grows, the organization is shifting course to build on newer program areas, grantmaking structures, and investment vehicles. The emerging foundation will operate a growing endowment with approximately $100 million at launch. The foundation’s expanded focus areas include environmental sustainability, arts and culture, equity and wealth creation in marginalized communities, Jewish continuity, and sustaining democracy. The new enterprise, along with its Board and committees, will benefit from shared services of a relatively new family office that is building infrastructure to support grantmaking and impact investing operations.

About this Role

As Executive Director, you will support the family as they navigate a thoughtful start-up process and partner with them to co-create a strategic vision for the new entity. Central to this start-up will be preserving the sunsetting foundation’s legacy, embedding Jewish community life and health investments from the current entity into the new strategic direction for the emerging organization. As the new entity takes root, you will work closely with its Principals to design and implement an evolving grantmaking strategy across two generations of family leadership. You will be responsible for translating the Principals’ vision into actionable program areas, advising on grant structures, and supporting strategic planning around the management and investment of foundation capital. This is an ideal opportunity for a leader steeped in family philanthropy and/or family impact investing organization to play a strategic role in building a new and impactful institution. You will report directly to the Family Chair of the Board of the Foundation and share responsibility for regular reporting to the Principals/Trustees. You will supervise foundation vendors, consultants, and staff, and frequently collaborate with family office staff, impact investing professionals, external philanthropic networks, and subject‑matter experts.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the distribution and administration of the foundation’s grant portfolio, balancing legacy focus areas with expanding programs in arts and culture, environmental sustainability, wealth equity, and sustaining democracy
• Work closely with the Principals/Trustees to co‑design strategy, core programmatic focus areas, and long‑term impact goals
• Evaluate and explore a range of modern grantmaking structures such as multi‑year general operating support, recoverable grants, and PRIs to maximize impact
• Translate the Principals’ and Board’s vision into actionable, high‑impact programmatic frameworks, establishing clear metrics for learning and evaluation
• Facilitate the development of overarching frameworks for the generational transition, helping the family build a sustainable approach to philanthropy that honors tradition while embracing innovation
• Embed a continuous learning agenda into the foundation’s DNA, staying ahead of emerging trends in philanthropy to continuously refine giving strategies while staying current on institutions and research within each programmatic field
• Oversee the full lifecycle of grantmaking, including rigorous due diligence, financial vetting of grantees, and the creation of high‑impact agreements
• Serve as liaison to the family office, leveraging and helping to further develop shared services for streamlined accounting, HR, IT, and legal support
• Direct external partners, legal counsel, tax advisors, and philanthropic consultants to ensure seamless execution during the entity transition and ongoing operations
• Manage the annual operating budget, grant payout compliance, regulatory filings, and tax reporting in full compliance with federal and state private foundation regulations
• Establish clear operational policies, workflow processes, and governance practices t